The present invention concerns a knit undergarment currently sold under the name xe2x80x9cboxerxe2x80x9d designating short knit underpants, designed for men and women of all ages.
The boxer is a relatively complex article since it is designed to cover both the base of the trunk and the top of the thighs over a sufficient length. It comprises shorts terminated at their upper part by a belt positioned at the waist, and at its lower part by two reverse parts positioned on the thigh separately. It is currently made starting from a knit tube corresponding to a diameter permitting covering the base of the trunk without seams, and is furnished with a sewed bottom or crotch part during assembly operation, permitting connecting the two tubes covering the legs. Knitting on circular looms such as the SANTONI [Model] SM8-8 looms is known, for diameters comprised between 10 and 16 inches (between 25 and 40 cm), for tubes designed for the manufacture of boxers with a double belt at the top and a double reverse part at the bottom, this tube being able to be knit in both directions (from belt to reverse part or reverse part to belt). Assembling the bottom of the tube to create the crotch part of the boxer is also known, with or without a bottom part made on the same type of knitting loom. One can also refer to the documents U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,937,040; 4,043,156 and 5,590,548.
A problem often encountered with this type of clothing article is the lack of comfort for the wearer, partly linked to the presence of uncomfortable seams at the level of the crotch and/or a poor conformity of this bottom part to the anatomy of the wearer, and more particularly to the presence of uncomfortable seams on the front at the level of the genital organs, particularly for men. The object of the invention is to create a profiled bottom or crotch part especially designed to give a better positioned front seam and therefore an improved comfort during wear, while obtaining a correct length on the thigh, and in a simple manner.
The object of the invention is achieved by means of a manufacturing process for the boxer comprising circular knitting of a tube, knitting a bottom or crotch part, cutting two bottom lines at the front and back of the tube, sewing of the knit bottom part to the bottom lines to form the crotch and leg holes and to assemble the boxer, characterized in that the length of the bottom or crotch seam on the front is less than the length of the bottom or crotch seam on the rear.
Advantageously, the bottom part is a profiled bottom or crotch part made up of two adjacent parts knit roughly in one piece, one part being knit in a more xe2x80x9cpinchedxe2x80x9d manner than the other and being designed to come onto the shorter seam length, i.e., on the front, the two parts being roughly rectangular when they are knit together.
Advantageously, a secondary tube is knit independently, comprising an assembly of several two-piece bottom parts, on a circular loom identical to or different from that which served to knit the principal tube.
The invention also concerns the finished product obtained by the manufacturing process, i.e. a knit boxer comprising shorts forming two leg openings and a crotch part, characterized in that the crotch part is made from a knitted piece of two adjacent parts with different tension, with a more pinched part sewed onto a front seam joining the two leg openings and a more loosely part that is not pinched sewed on a rear seam joining the two leg openings, the rear seam being longer than the front seam.
When the boxer is pulled on, the part that is more pinched comes to be positioned in the crotch of the wearer, in the area where there is need for a lighter material. The seam made in the front comes to be positioned lower and does not cause discomfort. The bottom part rises higher in the rear which does not at all hinder comfortable walking. The legs move better with the wearer, and tight pinching and riding up is eliminated.
Thus, by means of the invention, a bottom part narrower in the front than the rear is created in one piece with the two reverse parts having only two seams following the pattern cutting lines of the principal tube, while if one proceeds in the conventional manner by sewing pieces of cut-out woven or knit fabric, one would have less esthetically attractive seams which cause more discomfort to the wearer.